Overused March College Basketball Phrases

Late February and early March means that the stretch run of the college basketball season is in full swing. As we get ready for the anarchy that will rule over the next month, it is also time to take a look at some postseason basketball phrases that are used far too often by the talking heads.

If you hear Digger Phelps use some of these trite phrases, reach through the TV and knock the highlighter out of his hand.

- Overall body of work
I know commentators are talking about a team’s cumulative season results when they use this phrase, but it sounds as if they are talking about that particular team in an erotic way. Please remind us about which wins were sexiest, or if the team’s resume will only look good when/if the selection committee is wearing its beer goggles.

- Bubble burst
What do you get when a team on the cusp of the tournament doesn’t get selected? Cool alliteration! Whether it be a 24-6 mid-major or an 18-11 power conference team, it’s ironic that as the season winds down, these teams get more air time than the favorites.

- Renowned bracketologist
Two steps above Miss Cleo and the rest of the psychics are recently invented bracketologists. What an awesome country we live in where a lifetime of crunching RPI numbers and a fear of the opposite sex can land you jobs with the most popular sports outlets. Will someone please post on their site the projected NCAA tournament field for 2016?

- A team you don’t want to play in the tournament
My personal favorite are teams that present a “tough matchup,” or are a “tough out.” Yes, some teams are hotter coming down the stretch than others, but who are the teams you do want to play in the tournament? I would guess the teams that are the lowest seeds. If possible, the teams to stay away from in the tournament are the ones seeded the highest.

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[…] Lavin (who, by the way, looks EXACTLY like Lord Farquaad from Shrek) and the other talking heads use a whole bunch of lingo that rivals Mel Kiper’s “tremendous upside” bull shit. They point out four in […]